Tostones is a Caribbean and Latin American dish which consists of twice-fried green plantains or green bananas. A plantain is a large fruit resembling a banana, but larger, and botanically classified in a different species from regular bananas. Plantains are employed in making several different Caribbean and Latin American food recipes, including soups.
A tostón (singular) or tostones (plural) is a food made, typically, from green plantains. The plantains are peeled and cut into rounds of perhaps about one inch thick, although the specific thickness depends on the preference of the chef. The cut rounds are then deep fried until they begin to show a golden color. They are then removed from the oil, cooled a bit, and flattened by pressing down on them. Individual cooks have their own ways of flattening the plantain rounds into tostones, and there are many different approaches to this operation. Some will use a dish, a cup, a can, a flat-bottomed bottle, and any other available and suitable device. Some will put the partially fried tostones between two layers of brown paper bag material, such as brown paper grocery bags, and flatten the tostones by pounding down on them with a closed fist. Some will use an old device called a tostonera, which is a small press having two flat members connected to each other by a hinge. The tostón is placed between the flat members of the tostonera and squashed until it is approximately half an inch thick, again the thickness depending on preference of the cook. Once flattened, the tostones are returned to the hot oil and deep fried once more until they become crisp and turn a golden-brown color. Tostones are typically served as a side dish with meats and seafoods, and are often garnished with a garlic-citrus sauce called mojo.